He went over to the girls’ tent. Anne was there, only half awake. She blinked as Julian’s torch shone into her eyes.

“George!” said Julian. “Give me those papers now, please — hallo — I say, Anne — where is George?”

Anne started all round the tent. George’s rugs were there, piled in an untidy heap; but there was no George — and no Timmy either!

“Oh, Ju! Do you know what George has done — she’s slipped out with the precious papers — and taken Timmy too! She must have gone to fetch her bike, and ridden off to Kirrin to get her boat — to row over to Kirrin Island! Julian, whatever will happen if she rows over and finds somebody waiting to grab those papers from her?” Poor Anne was very near to tears.

“I could shake her!” said Julian, very angry indeed. “Going off alone like that in the dark — cycling to Kirrin — rowing over to the island — and back! She must be mad! Suppose Mr Wooh and his friends are waiting there for her! The — silly — little — idiot!”

“Oh, Julian, quick! You and Dick get your cycles and try to catch her,” begged Anne. “Oh please do! Anything might happen to her! Dear, silly old George! Thank goodness Timmy’s gone with her.”

“Well, that’s a blessing, anyway,” said Julian, still angry. “He’ll look after her as much as he can. My word, I could shake George till her teeth rattled! I thought she was rather quiet tonight. Thinking out this plan, I suppose!”

He went up to the house with Dick and Tinker to tell Jenny about George, and then he and Dick at once went to get their bicycles. This was serious. George had no right to be out alone at night like this — and go rowing over to Kirrin Island — ESPECIALLY if there was any chance of someone lying in wait for her!

Jenny was very worried indeed. She watched the two boys cycling off in the dark. Tinker begged her to let him go too, but she wouldn’t. “You and Mischief would just be nuisances,” she said. “Oh my word, won’t I shake that rascal of a George when she gets back. What a girl! Well, well — thank goodness Timmy’s with her. That dog’s as good as half a dozen policemen!”

Chapter Sixteen

Night on Kirrin Island

It was certainly very dark when the half-moon went behind the clouds. George was glad that her bicycle lamp shone so brightly. The shadows in the hedges were deep and mysterious — “as if they hid people ready to jump out at us,” she said to Timmy. “But you’d go for them at once, wouldn’t you, Timmy!”

Timmy was too much out of breath to bark an answer. George was going pretty fast, and he didn’t mean to let her get out of sight. He was sure she shouldn’t be out by herself on a dark night like this. He couldn’t imagine why she had suddenly taken it into her head to go for a long night-ride! He raced along, panting.